The races for the office of district attorney in both Birmingham and the Bessemer Cutoff were too close to call early Wednesday morning, but both Republic incumbents Brandon Falls and Bill Veitch were narrowly trailing their challengers

Falls, district attorney since 2008, conceded the race this morning. Veitch said he is still looking at the boxes and ballots to confirm the final count.

With 98.85 percent of votes in, in the Birmingham Division, attorney and educator Charles Todd Henderson had 144,862 votes, or 50.79 percent compared to Falls' 140,134 votes, or 49.14 percent.

As of 6:30 a.m., 172 boxes out of 174 had been counted. Provisional ballots are outstanding and there were a number of write-ins so percentages may not add up to 100 percent.

Falls was first appointed to the post in 2008, and ran for his first full six-year term in 2010. He has spent his 19-year career in the office, rising through the ranks and becoming the hand-picked successor to David Barber, the former district attorney.

Henderson got his bachelor's degree from Samford University, his master's degree from UAB and his law degree from Birmingham School of Law. It is Henderson's first successful bid for public office after losing in the race to become the Democratic candidate for the office of Jefferson County Sheriff in 2014.

Falls said he reached out to Henderson Wednesday and left hi a voicemail. He said said he will now prepare to ready his staff for the transition. "It's been an honor to be in this office for 19 years,'' Falls said. "I look forward to finding another way to benefit the people of Jefferson County."

Henderson on Wednesday afternoon issued this statement: "I would like to sincerely thank each and every one of our supporters that went to the polls, stood in long lines and exercised their right to vote. While District Attorney Falls has already called me to concede the race, I still believe it is important to wait until every ballot is counted. I look forward to seeing the final results come in and then talking about our plans to bring about real criminal justice reform in this county while addressing the rise in violent crime and making our neighborhoods safer."

In the Bessemer Cutoff, Lynneice Washington had 36,651 votes, or 50.13 percent compared to Veitch's 36,428 votes, or 49.82 percent.

Washington is poised to become the first woman and the first African American to hold the position in Jefferson County. Washington been a lawyer for 19 years, eight of those as an assistant district attorney in the Bessemer Cutoff. She also spent four years as a presiding judge in Bessemer Municipal Court, two years as an appellate prosecutor in Irondale Municipal Court, two years as a hearing officer for the Jefferson County Personnel Board and 11 years as a practicing lawyer, including family law and divorce, personal injury, probate and criminal defense work.

Gov. Robert Bentley in January appointed Veitch to the Bessemer Cutoff position. Then chief assistant district attorney, Veitch replaced Arthur Green Jr., whose retirement was effective in January.

Veitch had served as Green's chief assistant district since 2001. He has been with the District Attorney's Office since 1999. Prior to that, he had a private practice for 20 years and served as a Birmingham police officer from 1973 through 1979.

"We are very grateful for everyone who took the time to vote for us,'' Veitch said Wednesday. "I will never forget that."